Boletín Informativo

Development of Competencies in the Rural Sector

In the new international context of open and free trade, rural development has taken on a new dimension. As a result, human capacity must be strengthened in the sector and greater advantage must be taken of available information and communication technologies (ICTs). Although significant efforts have been made by governments and institutions to increase the coverage and quality of training for rural development in the Americas, serious obstacles remain, specifically: Geographical isolation of the rural areas; Lack of technological connection between producers, extension officers, teachers and agri-business leaders; Little use of ICTs to access information, manipulate data, receive training through CD-Roms and improve communication through video conferencing, email and Internet I and II (known as the digital divide); and insufficient experience in the management and use of self-learning training systems and methods through computers and other digital means.

http://www.educoas.org/portal/en/tema/editorial/ago04.aspx?culture=en&tabindex=36&childindex=0

Brazil: Improving Quality in Basic Education

Through a strategic alliance between INEAM and UNESCO-Brazil to support the Ministry of Education, more than 2,300 Brazilian teachers will participate in the fifth edition of the online course “Quality in Basic Education” to begin in August.

http://www.educoea.org/portal/ineam/cursos/seleccionados_qualidade_ago_2004pt.aspx?culture=en

Joint Activities with ISTEC

Within the framework of activities being carried out with ISTEC (www.istec.org), INEAM is making the Educational Portal of the Americas and its Virtual Classroom available to the Advanced Continuing Education initiative so that ISTEC member institutions can take advantage of existing tools to produce science and technology content. In addition, the following activities will be carried out as part of the 2004-2005 work plan: a) a workshop will be organized during the next ISTEC meeting in Tampa, Florida to train trainers on how to prepare distance learning materials (both “online” and multimedial); b) public and private institutions associated with ISTEC will be surveyed to identify priority areas for learning in the field of science and technology; c) the IACD will facilitate horizontal cooperation activities between ISTEC and the Inter-American Organization of Higher Education (IOHE) (http://www.oui-iohe.qc.ca/index.html) ; and d) at least four training activities will be offered through the Portal in 2005.

http://www.istec.org/index2.htm

CAMPUSRED

Through its portal for universities, CampusRed (http://campusred.net/), the Telefonica Foundation of Spain has made available various sessions of the V International Conference on Education, Training and New Technologies, Virtual Educa 2004, whose central topics was “New Technologies in the Information Society: Education in the Global Era”.

Click here.

Inter-American Institute For Cooperation in Agriculture (IICA)

As part of the horizontal cooperation that takes place between the organizations of the inter-American system, the Coordinator of the Distance Learning Training Center (CECADI) of the Education and Training Office (DECAP) of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture (IICA), recently held a working session at IACD/OAS headquarters. The objective of the meeting was to initiate the drafting of a Work Plan for 2004-2005 so that both organizations could complement their in-house capacity to expand training services through the use of ICTs. As a result, INEAM will offer the infrastructure of the Educational Portal of the Americas and IICA will make available their videoconferencing and other multimedial resource materials.

http://www.iica.int/

Latin American Initiative for Understanding and Development

A recent addition to the Educational Portal is the L@titud website. L@titud is an initiative that aims to establish a network of professionals to promote education for understanding and intelligent action in diverse Latin American contexts, with emphasis on local initiatives and generation of regional expertise. The initiative is directed by Dr. Verónica Boix Mansilla and uses the conceptual framework and practical tools developed by Project Zero, a research institute of the Graduate School of Education of Harvard University. The service is currently available in the southern region, which is coordinated by Inés Aguerrondo and Paula Pogré from the Universidad de San Andrés in Argentina.

http://www.educoas.org/Portal/xbak2/temporario1/latitud/index1.html

UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education

As a result of a visit by Dr. Richard Meganck, Director of the UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education, the OAS-INEAM is signing a cooperation agreement with that organization to expand graduate-level training services in the area of administration and management of water use and conservation in order to preserve and ensure the sustainability of one of the most essential elements for life on the planet. Together with INEAM, the Institute will offer graduate programs and professional training studies in this area through distance learning to complement several face-to-face courses that are currently being offered in Holland.

http://www.ihe.nl/vmp/contentsHomePage.html

Efforts to Improve Living Conditions in Rural Areas

Various public and private sector organizations, including the IACD/OAS, met on June 28-29 at World Bank headquarters to analyze possible areas for multilateral collaboration through the Global Distance Learning Network for Rural Development (GDLN). The GDLN network and IICA have been working together since 2000 to develop the Latin American and Caribbean Chapter of GDLN and they are looking to identify agencies that have experience and interest in the rural development of the region with whom they can collaborate in the training and exchange of knowledge. This effort will help mobilize specialized knowledge --as well as technical and financial resources-- and will contribute to improve the living conditions in the rural areas of these countries.

GDLN is a worldwide partnership of distance learning centers, organizations and content providers who share knowledge and lessons learned in development areas through videoconferencing, web-based learning, and face-to-face and interactive meetings. They have identified health, education and rural development as priority areas to exchange learning and knowledge for the reduction of poverty. A videoconference was held on July 29 as follow-up to the meeting and to discuss the level of participation of institutions involved.

http://www.gdln.org/index.html

We appreciate your interest and participation in the activities of the Educational Portal of the Americas. Your comments and suggestions are always welcome. Please send all messages to portal@oas.org. If you have received this message in error and would like to cancel your free subscription, please send a message to portal@oas.org and include "Cancel Newsletter Subscription" in the subject window.



	*Click here to see previous Newsletters*
	August News: Development of Competencies in the Rural Sector Brazil: Improving Quality in Basic Education Joint Activities with ISTEC CAMPUSRED Inter-American Institute For Cooperation in Agriculture (IICA) Latin American Initiative for Understanding and Development UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education Efforts to Improve Living Conditions in Rural Areas
	Development of Competencies in the Rural Sector In the new international context of open and free trade, rural development has taken on a new dimension. As a result, human capacity must be strengthened in the sector and greater advantage must be taken of available information and communication technologies (ICTs). Although significant efforts have been made by governments and institutions to increase the coverage and quality of training for rural development in the Americas, serious obstacles remain, specifically: Geographical isolation of the rural areas; Lack of technological connection between producers, extension officers, teachers and agri-business leaders; Little use of ICTs to access information, manipulate data, receive training through CD-Roms and improve communication through video conferencing, email and Internet I and II (known as the digital divide); and insufficient experience in the management and use of self-learning training systems and methods through computers and other digital means. http://www.educoas.org/portal/en/tema/editorial/ago04.aspx?culture=en&tabindex=36&childindex=0 Brazil: Improving Quality in Basic Education Through a strategic alliance between INEAM and UNESCO-Brazil to support the Ministry of Education, more than 2,300 Brazilian teachers will participate in the fifth edition of the online course “Quality in Basic Education” to begin in August. http://www.educoea.org/portal/ineam/cursos/seleccionados_qualidade_ago_2004pt.aspx?culture=en Joint Activities with ISTEC Within the framework of activities being carried out with ISTEC (www.istec.org), INEAM is making the Educational Portal of the Americas and its Virtual Classroom available to the Advanced Continuing Education initiative so that ISTEC member institutions can take advantage of existing tools to produce science and technology content. In addition, the following activities will be carried out as part of the 2004-2005 work plan: a) a workshop will be organized during the next ISTEC meeting in Tampa, Florida to train trainers on how to prepare distance learning materials (both “online” and multimedial); b) public and private institutions associated with ISTEC will be surveyed to identify priority areas for learning in the field of science and technology; c) the IACD will facilitate horizontal cooperation activities between ISTEC and the Inter-American Organization of Higher Education (IOHE) (http://www.oui-iohe.qc.ca/index.html) ; and d) at least four training activities will be offered through the Portal in 2005. http://www.istec.org/index2.htm CAMPUSRED Through its portal for universities, CampusRed (http://campusred.net/), the Telefonica Foundation of Spain has made available various sessions of the V International Conference on Education, Training and New Technologies, Virtual Educa 2004, whose central topics was “New Technologies in the Information Society: Education in the Global Era”. Click here. Inter-American Institute For Cooperation in Agriculture (IICA) As part of the horizontal cooperation that takes place between the organizations of the inter-American system, the Coordinator of the Distance Learning Training Center (CECADI) of the Education and Training Office (DECAP) of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture (IICA), recently held a working session at IACD/OAS headquarters. The objective of the meeting was to initiate the drafting of a Work Plan for 2004-2005 so that both organizations could complement their in-house capacity to expand training services through the use of ICTs. As a result, INEAM will offer the infrastructure of the Educational Portal of the Americas and IICA will make available their videoconferencing and other multimedial resource materials. http://www.iica.int/ Latin American Initiative for Understanding and Development A recent addition to the Educational Portal is the L@titud website. L@titud is an initiative that aims to establish a network of professionals to promote education for understanding and intelligent action in diverse Latin American contexts, with emphasis on local initiatives and generation of regional expertise. The initiative is directed by Dr. Verónica Boix Mansilla and uses the conceptual framework and practical tools developed by Project Zero, a research institute of the Graduate School of Education of Harvard University. The service is currently available in the southern region, which is coordinated by Inés Aguerrondo and Paula Pogré from the Universidad de San Andrés in Argentina. http://www.educoas.org/Portal/xbak2/temporario1/latitud/index1.html UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education As a result of a visit by Dr. Richard Meganck, Director of the UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education, the OAS-INEAM is signing a cooperation agreement with that organization to expand graduate-level training services in the area of administration and management of water use and conservation in order to preserve and ensure the sustainability of one of the most essential elements for life on the planet. Together with INEAM, the Institute will offer graduate programs and professional training studies in this area through distance learning to complement several face-to-face courses that are currently being offered in Holland. http://www.ihe.nl/vmp/contentsHomePage.html Efforts to Improve Living Conditions in Rural Areas Various public and private sector organizations, including the IACD/OAS, met on June 28-29 at World Bank headquarters to analyze possible areas for multilateral collaboration through the Global Distance Learning Network for Rural Development (GDLN). The GDLN network and IICA have been working together since 2000 to develop the Latin American and Caribbean Chapter of GDLN and they are looking to identify agencies that have experience and interest in the rural development of the region with whom they can collaborate in the training and exchange of knowledge. This effort will help mobilize specialized knowledge --as well as technical and financial resources-- and will contribute to improve the living conditions in the rural areas of these countries. GDLN is a worldwide partnership of distance learning centers, organizations and content providers who share knowledge and lessons learned in development areas through videoconferencing, web-based learning, and face-to-face and interactive meetings. They have identified health, education and rural development as priority areas to exchange learning and knowledge for the reduction of poverty. A videoconference was held on July 29 as follow-up to the meeting and to discuss the level of participation of institutions involved. http://www.gdln.org/index.html We appreciate your interest and participation in the activities of the Educational Portal of the Americas. Your comments and suggestions are always welcome. Please send all messages to portal@oas.org. If you have received this message in error and would like to cancel your free subscription, please send a message to portal@oas.org and include "Cancel Newsletter Subscription" in the subject window.